Determine hardware and software requirements (Windows SharePoint Services)
Applies To: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
Topic Last Modified: 2012-07-02
In this article:
About hardware and software requirements
Stand-alone installation
Server farm installation
This article describes the hardware and software requirements for installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
About hardware and software requirements
An installation of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 can range from a single computer (stand-alone installation) to many computers (server farm). The requirements for your installation will depend on the availability and scale requirements for your solution. This article describes the minimum and recommended hardware requirements based on whether you are deploying a stand-alone installation or a server farm. This article also lists the software prerequisites for installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
This article does not provide guidance about choosing a farm topology or hardware based on availability requirements or performance and capacity requirements. For more information about designing your solution to address these requirements, see Plan for performance and capacity (Windows SharePoint Services).
The hardware and software requirements described in this article apply to both x32-bit–based and x64-bit–based systems. However, if you installed the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 and then modified the Enable32bitAppOnWin64 registry key so that Internet Information Server (IIS) is running in 32-bit emulation mode, you cannot install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. To install either 32-bit or 64-bit Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 you must run IIS in 64-bit mode.
Note
Itanium-based systems are not supported.
Using a mix of 32-bit servers and 64-bit servers in a server farm is supported. However, this scenario is not recommended because of the potential performance issues that could occur. For example:
With a clustered front-end Web server that uses round robin, the 32-bit server will be the bottleneck.
If a 64-bit front-end Web server is making calls to a 32-bit SQL Server database, there may be a bottleneck if SQL Server does not have adequate resources. This also applies to a 64-bit indexer that is working against a 32-bit SQL Server database.
If circumstances require a heterogeneous server architecture, we recommend that you use homogeneous (32-bit or 64-bit) servers on each application tier, for example, 32-bit servers for all the front-end Web servers.
If server farm performance in a heterogeneous environment becomes an issue, the recommended solution is to migrate all of the SharePoint farm servers to the 64-bit architecture. We highly recommend that you have a migration plan in place to move to a 64-bit only environment as soon as possible. Our support and test data shows that SharePoint products and technologies that are installed on 64-bit servers have significant gains in system throughput and performance during peak loads.
Note
While migrating 32-bit servers to 64-bit servers there will be times during the migration process that you cannot maintain homogenous servers on each tier. However, performance issues will only occur during the migration process.
Stand-alone installation
You can install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 on a single computer by using either of the following methods:
By selecting Basic.
By selecting Advanced, and then selecting Stand-alone in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Setup.
Hardware requirements
The following table lists the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for deploying Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, including the deployment of Windows Internal Database, for a stand-alone installation.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
Processor |
2.5 gigahertz (GHz) |
Dual processors that are each 3 GHz or faster |
RAM |
1 gigabyte (GB) |
2 GB |
Disk |
NTFS file system–formatted partition with a minimum of 3 GB of free space |
NTFS file system–formatted partition with 3 GB of free space plus adequate free space for your Web sites |
Drive |
DVD drive |
DVD drive or the source copied to a local or network-accessible drive |
Display |
1024 × 768 |
1024 × 768 or higher resolution monitor |
Network |
56 kilobits per second (Kbps) connection between client computers and server |
56 Kbps or faster connection between client computers and server |
Software requirements
The Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 installation and configuration wizard marshals many components. If you uninstall Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, and then later install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 on the same computer, the Setup program could fail when creating the configuration database, which would cause the entire installation process to fail. You can prevent this failure by deleting the existing configuration database or by using the psconfig command to create a new configuration database.
Database
When you perform a Basic installation, Windows Internal Database is automatically installed. When you perform an Advanced installation on a stand-alone computer that already has Microsoft SQL Server installed, ensure that the computer meets the hardware and software requirements for a database server. For more information, see Database server later in this article.
Note
If you are installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) on Windows Server 2008, setup installs Windows Internal Database with Service Pack 2 (SP2).
Because of Windows licensing restrictions, if you are using Windows Server 2003, Web Edition in a single server environment, you can only perform an Advanced, front-end Web server installation. This is because the full SQL Server editions cannot be installed on Windows Server 2003, Web Edition. In this scenario, you need to have a full SQL Server edition installed on a compatible edition of Windows Server 2003 for use with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. Windows Server 2003, Web edition does not support Basic installation of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
Operating system
The initial release of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 runs on Windows Server 2003 with SP1. We recommend that you apply all critical updates. You can use the following Windows Server 2003 editions:
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
Because of Windows licensing restrictions, if you are using Windows Server 2003, Web Edition in a single server environment, you can only perform an Advanced, front-end Web server installation. This is because the full SQL Server editions cannot be installed on Windows Server 2003, Web Edition. In this scenario, you need to have a full SQL Server edition installed on a compatible edition of Windows Server 2003 for use with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. Windows Server 2003, Web edition does not support Basic installation of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 administration functions require Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 with the most recent service packs, Internet Explorer 7.0, or Internet Explorer 8.0.
Important
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 requires Active Directory directory services for farm deployments. Therefore Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 cannot be installed in a farm on a Windows NT 4.0 domain.
The following are updates to supported operating systems since the initial release of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0:
SP1 - Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) is supported on Windows Server 2008. As with the Windows Server 2003 operating system, you must download and run Setup and the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard. You cannot install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 on Windows Server 2008 without also installing service packs for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
SP2 – Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) is supported on Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1). You must create a slipstreamed installation source for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. This installation source must include the files from Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with SP1. For more information about how to use the updates folder to create a slipstreamed source, see Create an installation source that includes software updates (Windows SharePoint Services 3.0).
SP3 - Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with Service Pack 3 (SP3) is supported on Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1). However, you must create a slipstreamed installation source for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. This installation source must include the files from Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with Service Pack 2 (SP2). For more information about how to use the updates folder to create a slipstreamed source, see Create an installation source that includes software updates (Windows SharePoint Services 3.0).
Windows components
After you have installed the operating system and applied all critical updates, you must configure the computer to be a Web server by enabling Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0, including:
Common files
WWW
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
You must configure the server to use IIS 6.0 worker process isolation mode. This is the default setting in new installations. However, if you have upgraded from IIS 5.0 on Windows Server 2000, Run WWW in IIS 5.0 isolation mode is enabled, and you must change this setting to use IIS 6.0 worker process isolation mode.
Note
You must have IIS 7.0 installed to install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with SP1 on Windows Server 2008. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 does not support IIS 7.0 shared configuration.
To enable e-mail notifications, you need to configure incoming and outgoing e-mail settings. To configure sending e-mail alerts and notifications, you must specify an SMTP e-mail server. To configure your installation so that your SharePoint sites can accept and archive incoming e-mail, you must install the IIS SMTP service.
Important
The following components are required for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 to run correctly: the Web Server role, the Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.0, and Windows Internal Database. Do not uninstall them, or Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 will cease to run.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0
Before installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, you must install the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 and then ensure that ASP.NET 2.0 is enabled.
Note
You can also use the Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5. You can download the .NET Framework version 3.5 from the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110508).
To enable ASP.NET v2.0.50727, open the Web service extension in the IIS snap-in on the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). If ASP.NET 2.0 is installed on the computer before IIS is enabled, you must enable ASP.NET 2.0 by running the command aspnet_regiis -i.
Server farm installation
The primary difference between a single server and a server farm topology is that you can use one or more computers to host the following server roles:
Front-end Web server
Database server
This section describes the minimum and recommended system requirements for each server role. If you install more than one role on a single computer, ensure that the computer meets the minimum requirements for all server roles.
Front-end Web server
Hardware requirements
The following table lists the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for deploying a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 front-end Web server.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
Processor |
2.5 GHz |
Dual processors that are each 3 GHz or faster |
RAM |
2 GB |
More than 2 GB |
Disk |
NTFS file system–formatted partition with a minimum of 3 GB of free space |
NTFS file system–formatted partition with 3 GB of free space plus adequate free space for your data storage requirements |
Drive |
DVD drive |
DVD drive or the source copied to a local or network-accessible drive |
Display |
1024 × 768 |
1024 × 768 or higher resolution monitor |
Network |
|
|
Software requirements
We recommend that you perform the installation on a computer that has a new installation of the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later and all critical updates.
Operating system
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 runs on Windows Server 2003 with SP1 or later. We recommend that you apply all critical updates. You can use the following Windows Server 2003 editions:
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
Because of Windows licensing restrictions, if you are using Windows Server 2003, Web Edition in a single server environment, you can only perform an Advanced, front-end Web server installation. This is because the full SQL Server editions cannot be installed on Windows Server 2003, Web Edition. In this scenario, you need to have a full SQL Server edition installed on a compatible edition of Windows Server 2003 for use with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. Windows Server 2003, Web edition does not support Basic installation of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 administration functions require Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 with the most recent service packs, Internet Explorer 7.0, or Internet Explorer 8.0.
As of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with SP1, you can now install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 on Windows Server 2008. As with the Windows Server 2003 operating system, you must download and run Setup and the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard. You cannot install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 without service packs on Windows Server 2008.
Windows components
After you have installed the operating system and applied all critical updates, you must configure the computer to be a Web server by enabling IIS 6.0, including:
Common files
WWW
SMTP
You must configure the server to use IIS 6.0 worker process isolation mode. This is the default setting in new installations. However, if you have upgraded from IIS 5.0 on Windows Server 2000, Run WWW in IIS 5.0 isolation mode is enabled, and you must change this setting to use IIS 6.0 worker process isolation mode.
Note
You must have IIS 7.0 installed to install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with SP1 on Windows Server 2008. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 does not support IIS 7.0 shared configuration.
To enable e-mail notifications, you need to configure incoming and outgoing e-mail settings. To configure sending e-mail alerts and notifications, you must specify an SMTP e-mail server. To configure your installation so that your SharePoint sites can accept and archive incoming e-mail, you must install the IIS SMTP service.
Important
The following components are required for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 to run correctly: the Web Server role and the Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.0. Do not uninstall them, or Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 will cease to run.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0
Before installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, you must install the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 and then ensure that ASP.NET 2.0 is enabled.
Note
You can also use the Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5. You can download the .NET Framework version 3.5 from the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=110508).
To enable ASP.NET v2.0.50727, open the Web service extension in the IIS snap-in on the MMC. If ASP.NET 2.0 is installed on the computer before IIS is enabled, you must enable ASP.NET 2.0 by running the command aspnet_regiis -i.
Database server
The computer that hosts the database server role must have SQL Server 2000 with the latest service pack or Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP1 or later. Some advanced features require SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services SP1 or later.
Important
You must update SQL Server 2000 to the latest service pack, which is SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4. For more information, see Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=86989&clcid=0x409).
Note
We recommend that you install SQL Server 2005 SP2 before upgrading to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
Note
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 supports SQL Server 2008. However, you must install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP1 or later in order to use SQL Server 2008. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 also supports SQL Server 2008 R2. Ensure that you have installed Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later.
Important
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 does not support SQL Server 2012 or later versions of SQL Server.
For information about the hardware and software required to deploy a database server, see SQL Server 2005 System Requirements (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=75010&clcid=0x409).
Because of Windows licensing restrictions, if you are using Windows Server 2003, Web Edition in a single server environment, you can only perform an Advanced, front-end Web server installation. This is because the full SQL Server editions cannot be installed on Windows Server 2003, Web Edition. In this scenario, you need to have a full SQL Server edition installed on a compatible edition of Windows Server 2003 for use with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. Windows Server 2003, Web edition does not support Basic installation of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
Download this book
This topic is included in the following downloadable book for easier reading and printing:
See the full list of available books at Windows SharePoint Services technical library.